Developers push for city unit parking Author: By ALEX MITCHELL STATE POLITICAL EDITOR Date: 19/02/2006 Publication: Sun Herald
EVERY new residential unit in the City of Sydney should have at least one parking space for every owner or tenant, the NSW Urban Taskforce said.
The property industry lobby group has asked Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore to require all new unit developments to include car parking facilities to encourage families and singles to live in the city.
Car parking spaces are banned in some buildings because they are situated near public transport.
"The current scheme discourages young families from living in the city," NSW Urban Taskforce executive general director Sue Robinson said.
"This is about ensuring there is a broad mix of families and lifestyles in the city, and we believe this is best met by one or two car parking spaces per unit in Sydney," she said.
The task force, whose patron is former premier Neville Wran, is a who's who of property investors and developers including Multiplex, Bilfinger Berger, Macquarie Bank, Rosecorp, Rebel Property and Blue Ridge Property.
Commenting on the taskforce's 14-page submission to Sydney City Council's review of residential parking, Ms Robinson said: "We support public transport and a reduction in the use of cars in the CBD, but it is unrealistic to expect a young couple living in the city without a car for emergencies.
"Families who live in the city need cars to get their children to school.
"Families want to live in the city so they can be near work and entertainment."
Ms Robinson said attaching car parking to new building projects would not add extra height or bulk to buildings because most parking was underground. There are four different parking control areas located within the 16.5 square kilometres of Sydney - South Sydney, Central Sydney, Ultimo-Pyrmont and Leichhardt.
Ms Robinson said: "Sydney City Council must face facts on its parking strategy and it can't have it both ways.
"On one hand, it is approving residential and commercial buildings with very limited parking and, on the other, reaping millions through its own car parking levies - and then forcing people to live in properties without appropriate levels of parking available to them."
The council collected $56.5 million last year in revenue from its car parking activities, accounting for 16 per cent of the city's finances.
The taskforce criticised the city's parking administration for on-site residential and commercial parking saying it was complex and led to uncertainty and delays.
It asked the council for a single consolidated set of car parking controls and proposed a working party of all key stakeholders to formulate sensible parking policy.
Parking fines in Sydney reaped $29.04 million last year, on-street parking meters $16.5 million and the council operated commercial car park in Goulburn Street $8.8 million.